Lose weight and treat diabetes at the same time

24 Sep 2012, BioSpectrum Bureau , BioSpectrum

Singapore: Doctors at St Vincent's Clinic and Macquarie University Hospital (MUH) in Sydney are now offering EndoBarrier Therapy, a revolutionary, non-surgical, non-pharmaceutical alternative to help patients take control of their type 2 diabetes and lose weight at the same time. The St Vincent's Clinic is situated within the greater St Vincent's Health Care campus, which is comprised of St Vincent's Public and St Vincent's Private Hospitals, both leading centres of innovation and patient care.

"The level of expertise and innovation offered by Professor Lord and his team in Sydney is substantial, and we are thrilled that they have chosen to provide EndoBarrier Therapy," said Mr Stuart A Randle, president and CEO, GI Dynamics. "We are excited about the commercial progress of EndoBarrier Therapy in Australia, and the addition of St. Vincent's and MUH is great news for patients."

Prof Lord added, "St Vincent's has always been at the forefront of scientific discovery, medical innovation and patient care, so we are pleased to be able to add this innovative procedure to our repertoire of obesity and diabetes solutions. We also offer EndoBarrier Therapy through the new Macquarie University Hospital, which is possibly the most technologically advanced hospital in Australia. Its location in Sydney's North West means that we are able to provide this treatment for patients across the broader Sydney metropolitan area."

Delivered endoscopically (through the mouth) during a brief, non-surgical procedure, the EndoBarrier device is a thin, flexible, tube-shaped liner that forms a physical barrier between food and a portion of the intestinal wall. Once in place, it begins working immediately and has been shown to lower HbA1c (blood glucose) levels, achieve weight loss of approximately 20 percent and improve other important metabolic functions including cholesterol, blood pressure and triglycerides within one year. EndoBarrier Therapy affects certain gastrointestinal hormones involved in insulin sensitivity, glucose metabolism and satiety, and these changes allow for rapid and sustained improvement of type 2 diabetes and weight loss.

The Australian Diabetes Council estimates that more than 3.5 million, or one-in-four, Australian adults have either diabetes or pre-diabetes; and that type 2 diabetes costs the country approximately $3 billion a year. Additionally, more than 17 million Australians are overweight or obese; and obesity has now overtaken smoking as the leading cause of premature death and illness in the country.